Delhi building collapse: No blame will be spared, says Delhi CM; orders magisterial probe

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta speaks to doctors and health officials at the AIIMS Trauma Center and assesses the health of individuals brought here after being rescued from the Satya Niketan building collapse site in New Delhi. | Photo credit: ANI

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday (September 6, 2026) ordered a judicial inquiry into the Satya Niketan house collapse incident that claimed the lives of five DU students and injured several others.

Ms Gupta visited the site of the deadly building collapse at Satya Niketan on Sunday evening (September 6, 2026) to oversee rescue operations and ensure that all agencies are working in tandem to rescue those still trapped under the debris, even as opposition leaders demanded accountability and a review of the student housing crisis in the national capital.

Standing on the first floor of a temple adjacent to the site, Ms Gupta said whoever was responsible for the collapse would not be spared, be it the owner of the building or a government official.

Delhi Building Collapse LIVE

“The building was old and some construction and renovation work was going on. Our priority is to save the lives of these children first. All the officials are present and no kind will be missed. But the culprits will not be spared,” she said.

“Housing Crisis Now Threatens Life”

Describing the incident as “heartbreaking” and “alarming”, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said Congress workers and volunteers from its student wing, the National Students’ Union of India, were at the scene of the disaster and ready to provide all possible assistance.

Students’ housing struggles have now become life-threatening, he said. “Due to lack of good hostels in colleges or universities, students are forced to live in PG accommodation, 40-40 at a time under one roof, in inhumane conditions. Every student’s life is precious and his protection must be ensured at all times,” Mr Gandhi said in a post on X.

Abhijeet Dipke of the Cockroach Janta Party, which led the massive student protests that rocked the capital last month, also questioned why the youth who want to study cannot be provided with basic amenities. “How many students will continue to lose their lives due to system or government failure? And why does this only happen to students from poor backgrounds. Infrastructure collapses only where students live and study. It never happens where a politician lives or works,” he said.

‘government negligence’

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who heads the Aam Aadmi Party, blamed the government’s negligence for the “tragic” and “alarming” collapse.

“Many such accidents have already happened due to negligence of Delhi Govt. Govt needs to wake up from slumber. Massive steps need to be taken to ensure safety of citizens,” Mr Kejriwal wrote on X.

“Senior officials must face the music”

Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said nothing has changed since a similar incident in Saket a few months ago. “In the name of audits, millions will be looted by various departments who will seal the establishments for days until the money is exchanged. But nothing will change,” Mr. Bharadwaj said in a video message.

Former MCD Congress councilor Abhishek Dutt called for strict action against corrupt officials and leaders responsible for the incident. “Not just action against lesser junior engineers – senior officials must also be held accountable and the culprits should be dismissed from their jobs,” Mr. Dutt said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences. “The collapse of the building at Satya Niketan in Delhi is disheartening. My condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Authorities are working on the ground to help those affected,” he said in a quote released by the Prime Minister’s Office on X.

After an on-the-spot inspection and based on a preliminary assessment, the Chief Minister ordered a Magisterial Inquiry into the incident and an FIR against the owner of the building.

Those found responsible for this serious incident will be held fully accountable and will be dealt with as part of…

— CMO Delhi (@CMOdelhi) September 6, 2026

Published – 06 Sep 2026 21:13 IST